Vidarbha U-19 cricket team wins Cooch Behar Trophy for the first time

Vidarbha U-19 team, VCA President Anand Jaiswal and Vice President Prashant Vaidya pose for a picture after Vidarbha won the final of the tournament against Madhya Pradesh on January 31, 2018.

This year is turning to be a fantastic one for Vidarbha Cricket. On January 1, 2018, Vidarbha created history as it won the Ranji Trophy for the first time. Vidarbha U-19 cricket team created history as well on January 31, 2018, as the team won the Cooch Behar Trophy for the first time. The team won the trophy by beating Team Madhya Pradesh in the final of the tournament at VCA Stadium, Civil Lines, Nagpur. Vidarbha won the match on the first innings lead.

Batting first, Madhya Pradesh, in the first innings scored 289 runs. Vidarbha in response put up a massive total of 614 runs with the help of a triple ton from Vidarbha skipper Atharva Taide, who scored 320 runs. Taide fell short of just 46 runs for breaking Yuvraj Singh’s record of most runs in a Cooch Behar final. MP in the second innings was bolwed out by Vidarbha bowlers at just 176 runs.

The season, along with Taide has been a great one for some other U1-9 Vidarbha players as well. Batsman Yash Rathod, in the tournament, scored a staggering 945 runs at an average of 94.5 with the help of five tons and two fifties. Bowlers Parth Rekhade, Rohit Dattatray and Darshan Nalkande clinched 45, 35 and 26 wickets respectively.

Vidarbha Cricket Association President Anand Jaiswal during the prize distribution ceremony announced cash rewards for the Vidarbha team. While eleven members of the winning team will receive Rs 5 lakh each, other players will get Rs 3 lakh each. The support staff will get Rs 2 lakh each and VCA ground staff will be rewarded with Rs 10,000 each.